JP2024023751A - Substrate processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the dimensional stability of resist patterns using metal-containing resists.

SOLUTION: A substrate processing apparatus includes a film formation processing unit that forms a metal-containing resist film on a substrate, a heat treatment unit that heats the substrate on which the film is formed and the film is exposed to light, a development processing unit that develops the film on the heat-treated substrate, and an adjustment control unit that reduces the difference between substrates in the amount of moisture that reacts during heat treatment in the film formed on the substrate.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

COPYRIGHT: (C)2024,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present disclosure relates to a substrate processing apparatus, a substrate processing method, and a storage medium.

Patent Document 1 discloses a substrate processing apparatus that forms a resist pattern using a chemically amplified resist. In this substrate processing apparatus, the control section causes the substrates to wait in the standby section so that the time from the end of exposure in the exposure device until the start of post-exposure bake processing in the post-exposure bake unit is constant for each substrate. ing.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-130857

A metal-containing resist may be used instead of a chemically amplified resist. The present disclosure provides a substrate processing apparatus, a substrate processing method, and a storage medium that are effective in improving the dimensional stability of a resist pattern using a metal-containing resist.

The substrate processing apparatus includes a film forming processing section that forms a metal-containing resist film on a substrate, a heat processing section that heat-processes the substrate on which the film has been formed and has been subjected to exposure processing, and a heat processing section that heat-processes the substrate on which the film has been exposed. The present invention includes a development processing section that develops a film on a substrate, and an adjustment control section that reduces the difference between substrates in the amount of water that reacts during heat treatment in the film formed on the substrate.

According to the present disclosure, a substrate processing apparatus, a substrate processing method, and a storage medium that are effective in improving the dimensional stability of a resist pattern using a metal-containing resist are provided.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a substrate processing system according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the internal configuration of the substrate processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram showing an example of a substrate storage unit. FIG. 3(b) is a schematic diagram showing an example of a dehydration unit. FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the control device. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the control device. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure for adjusting the water content. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing another example of the procedure for adjusting the water content. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure for adjusting the amount of reaction water in the substrate processing system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure for adjusting the water content in the substrate processing system according to the third embodiment.

Various exemplary embodiments are described below. In the description, the same elements or elements having the same function are given the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

[First embodiment]
First, a substrate processing system according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7.

[Substrate processing system]
The substrate processing system 1 is a system that forms a photosensitive film on a substrate, exposes the photosensitive film, and develops the photosensitive film. The substrate to be processed is, for example, a semiconductor wafer W. The photosensitive film is, for example, a resist film. The substrate processing system 1 includes a coating/developing device 2 and an exposure device 3. The exposure device 3 is an exposure processing device that exposes a resist film (photosensitive film) formed on a wafer W (substrate). The interior space of the exposure apparatus 3 is maintained, for example, in a substantially vacuum state. Specifically, the exposure device 3 irradiates the portion of the resist film to be exposed with energy rays using a method such as immersion exposure. The coating/developing device 2 performs a process of coating a resist (chemical solution) on the surface of a wafer W (substrate) to form a resist film before the exposure process by the exposure device 3, and develops the resist film after the exposure process. I do. The substrate processing system 1 forms a metal-containing resist film using a metal-containing resist (hereinafter referred to as "metal-containing resist"). For example, the substrate processing system 1 may form the film using a resist containing metal oxide.

[Substrate processing equipment]
The configuration of the coating/developing device 2 will be described below as an example of a substrate processing device. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the coating/developing device 2 includes a carrier block 4, a processing block 5, an interface block 6, a humidity control mechanism 7, and a control device 100 (adjustment control section). .

The carrier block 4 introduces the wafer W into the coating/developing device 2 and takes out the wafer W from the coating/developing device 2 . For example, the carrier block 4 can support a plurality of carriers C for wafers W, and has a built-in transport device A1 including a transfer arm. The carrier C accommodates, for example, a plurality of circular wafers W. The transport device A1 takes out the wafer W from the carrier C, transfers it to the processing block 5, receives the wafer W from the processing block 5, and returns it into the carrier C. The processing block 5 has a plurality of processing modules 11, 12, 13, and 14.

The processing module 11 includes a coating unit U1, a heat treatment unit U2, and a transport device A3 that transports the wafer W to these units. The processing module 11 forms a lower layer film on the surface of the wafer W using the coating unit U1 and the heat treatment unit U2. The coating unit U1 coats the wafer W with a processing liquid for forming a lower layer film. The heat treatment unit U2 performs various heat treatments associated with the formation of the lower layer film.

The processing module 12 (film-forming processing section) includes a coating unit U3, a heat treatment unit U4, and a transport device A3 that transports the wafer W to these units. The processing module 12 forms a metal-containing resist film on the lower layer film using a coating unit U3 and a heat treatment unit U4. The coating unit U3 applies a metal-containing resist onto the lower layer film as a treatment liquid for film formation. The heat treatment unit U4 performs various heat treatments associated with film formation. As a result, a metal-containing resist film is formed on the surface of the wafer W.

The processing module 13 includes a coating unit U5, a heat treatment unit U6, and a transport device A3 that transports the wafer W to these units. The processing module 13 forms an upper layer film on the resist film using a coating unit U5 and a heat treatment unit U6. The coating unit U5 applies a liquid for forming an upper layer film onto the resist film. The heat treatment unit U6 performs various heat treatments associated with the formation of the upper layer film.

The processing module 14 includes a developing unit U7 (developing processing section), a heat processing unit U8 (heat processing section), and a transport device A3 that transports the wafer W to these units. The processing module 14 uses a developing unit U7 and a heat processing unit U8 to perform a development process on a film subjected to an exposure process and a heat process accompanying the development process. As a result, a resist pattern using a metal-containing resist is formed on the surface of the wafer W. The developing unit U7 performs a developing process on the metal-containing resist film by applying a developing solution onto the surface of the exposed wafer W and then rinsing it away with a rinsing solution. The heat treatment unit U8 performs various heat treatments associated with development processing. Specific examples of heat treatment include heat treatment before development treatment (PEB: Post Exposure Bake), heat treatment after development treatment (PB: Post Bake), and the like. The developing unit U7 develops the wafer W that has been subjected to heat treatment (PEB) by the heat treatment unit U8. Hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, the heat treatment in the heat treatment unit U8 will be described as "heat treatment before development processing (PEB)." Further, the metal-containing resist film will be simply referred to as a "film".

A shelf unit U10 is provided on the carrier block 4 side within the processing block 5. The shelf unit U10 is divided into a plurality of cells arranged in the vertical direction. A transport device A7 including a lifting arm is provided near the shelf unit U10. The transport device A7 moves the wafer W up and down between the cells of the shelf unit U10.

A shelf unit U11 is provided within the processing block 5 on the interface block 6 side. The shelf unit U11 is divided into a plurality of cells arranged in the vertical direction.

The interface block 6 transfers the wafer W to and from the exposure apparatus 3. For example, the interface block 6 has a built-in transport device A8 including a delivery arm, and is connected to the exposure device 3. The transport device A8 transfers the wafer W placed on the shelf unit U11 to the exposure device 3 via the humidity control mechanism 7. The transport device A8 receives the wafer W from the exposure device 3 and returns it to the shelf unit U11 via the humidity control mechanism 7.

The humidity control mechanism 7 is a mechanism configured to adjust the amount of moisture contained in the film formed on the surface of the wafer W (hereinafter referred to as "contained moisture amount"). Adjusting the water content of the coating includes at least one of increasing the water content, decreasing the water content, and suppressing fluctuations in the water content. For example, the humidity control mechanism 7 is provided within the interface block 6. The humidity control mechanism 7 includes a substrate storage unit 20 (substrate storage section) and a dehydration unit 30 (dehydration section). The substrate accommodating unit 20 is configured to accommodate a plurality of wafers W, and to suppress changes in the moisture content of the coating in the wafers W accommodated therein. The dehydration unit 30 is configured to accommodate one or more wafers W and to reduce the amount of water contained in the coating on the accommodated wafers W. An example of these configurations will be described later.

The control device 100 controls the coating/developing device 2 to perform coating/developing processing, for example, in the following steps. First, the control device 100 controls the transport device A1 to transport the wafer W in the carrier C to the shelf unit U10, and controls the transport device A7 to place the wafer W in the cell for the processing module 11.

Next, the control device 100 controls the transport device A3 to transport the wafers W on the shelf unit U10 to the coating unit U1 and the heat treatment unit U2 in the processing module 11. Further, the control device 100 controls the coating unit U1 and the heat treatment unit U2 so as to form a lower layer film on the surface of the wafer W. Thereafter, the control device 100 controls the transport device A3 to return the wafer W on which the lower layer film has been formed to the shelf unit U10, and controls the transport device A7 to place the wafer W in the cell for the processing module 12. .

Next, the control device 100 controls the transport device A3 to transport the wafers W on the shelf unit U10 to the coating unit U3 and the heat treatment unit U4 in the processing module 12. Further, the control device 100 controls the coating unit U3 and the heat treatment unit U4 so as to form a metal-containing resist film on the lower layer film of the wafer W. Thereafter, the control device 100 controls the transport device A3 to return the wafer W to the shelf unit U10, and controls the transport device A7 to place the wafer W in the cell for the processing module 13.

Next, the control device 100 controls the transport device A3 to transport the wafers W on the shelf unit U10 to each unit in the processing module 13. Further, the control device 100 controls the coating unit U5 and the heat treatment unit U6 so as to form an upper layer film on the film of the wafer W. After that, the control device 100 controls the transport device A3 to transport the wafer W to the shelf unit U11.

Next, the control device 100 controls the transport device A8 to carry the wafer W in the shelf unit U11 into the substrate storage unit 20, and send the wafer W stored in the substrate storage unit 20 to the exposure apparatus 3. Thereafter, the control device 100 controls the transport device A8 to receive the exposed wafer W from the exposure device 3 and carry it into the dehydration unit 30. Then, the control device 100 controls the transport device A8 to place the wafers W in the dehydration unit 30 in the cells for the processing module 14 in the shelf unit U11.

Next, the control device 100 controls the transport device A3 to transport the wafers W on the shelf unit U11 to the heat treatment unit U8 in the processing module 14. Then, the control device 100 controls the heat treatment unit U8 to perform heat treatment on the film of the wafer W. Next, the control device 100 controls the developing unit U7 and the heat treating unit U8 so as to perform a developing process on the film of the wafer W that has been heat treated by the heat treating unit U8, and a heat process after the developing process. After that, the control device 100 controls the transport device A3 to return the wafer W to the shelf unit U10, and controls the transport device A7 and the transport device A1 to return the wafer W into the carrier C. With the above steps, the coating/developing process is completed.

Note that the specific configuration of the substrate processing apparatus is not limited to the configuration of the coating/developing apparatus 2 exemplified above. The substrate processing apparatus is equipped with a unit that performs a film formation process to form a metal-containing resist film, a heat treatment unit that heats the film after exposure processing, a development unit that develops the film, and a control device that can control these. It can be anything. Each unit of the humidity control mechanism 7 may be provided within the carrier block 4 or the processing modules 11, 12, 13, and 14.

(Humidity control mechanism)
Next, the configuration of each unit of the humidity control mechanism 7 will be explained. As described above, the substrate accommodation unit 20 shown in FIG. 3A accommodates a plurality of wafers W, and suppresses changes in the amount of water contained in the coating of the accommodated wafers W. Since the substrate storage unit 20 can store a plurality of wafers W, it functions as a buffer for keeping the wafers W on standby until the wafers W are delivered to the exposure apparatus 3. Note that the substrate storage unit 20 may be provided between the interface block 6 and the exposure apparatus 3.

Changes in the moisture content within the substrate storage unit 20 are suppressed compared to the transport space that accommodates the transport devices in the coating/developing device 2 (for example, the space in which the transport devices A3 and A8 can move). The range of increase/decrease per unit time in the water content of the wafer W accommodated in the substrate accommodation unit 20 is smaller than that of the wafer W remaining in either the transport space or the exposure apparatus 3. When the moisture content of the wafer W remaining in the transfer space increases, the amount of increase per unit time in the moisture content of the wafer W accommodated in the substrate storage unit 20 is greater than that of the wafer W in the transfer space. small. When the interior of the exposure apparatus 3 is maintained in a substantially vacuum state, when the wafer W remains within the exposure apparatus 3, the amount of water contained in the coating of the wafer W decreases. In this case, the amount of decrease per unit time in the water content of the wafer W accommodated in the substrate accommodating unit 20 is smaller than that of the wafer W in the exposure apparatus 3.

For example, the substrate storage unit 20 includes a housing 21, a plurality of storage shelves 22, and a supply path 23. The housing 21 is configured to isolate an external space (transport space) and an internal space. For example, the housing 21 is a box having an internal space. An opening for loading and unloading the wafer W may be formed in at least a portion of the housing 21. The housing 21 may be configured to suppress the inflow and outflow of gas through the opening with an air curtain. The housing 21 accommodates a plurality of storage shelves 22, and a supply path 23 is connected to one end of the housing 21. The plurality of storage shelves 22 each hold a plurality of wafers W. The supply path 23 supplies air to the space inside the casing 21 so that changes in the moisture content are suppressed. For example, a device that generates low-humidity dry air may be connected to one end of the supply path 23, and the supply path 23 may supply low-humidity dry air into the housing 21. The dry air supplied through the supply path 23 has a humidity that suppresses changes in the moisture content of the wafers W accommodated in the substrate accommodation unit 20. For example, the humidity of the dry air supplied through the supply path 23 is lower than the humidity within the transport space, and the humidity within the exposure device 3 is also higher.

The dehydration unit 30 shown in FIG. 3(b) accommodates one or more wafers W, and reduces the amount of water contained in the coating of the accommodated wafers W. For example, the dewatering unit 30 includes a housing 31, a support plate 32, and a connecting pipe 33. The housing 31 is a box that isolates an external space (transport space) and an internal space. The support plate 32 is a plate-shaped member that supports the wafer W to be dehydrated. The connecting tube 33 is connected to one end of the housing 31, and a vacuum device (not shown) is connected to one end of the connecting tube 33 on the side opposite to the housing 31. As a result, the space within the housing 31 is vacuum-suctioned, and the interior of the dehydration unit 30 (internal space) is maintained in a substantially vacuum state. By maintaining the internal space in the housing 31 in a substantially vacuum state, the amount of water contained in the coating on the wafer W housed in the dehydration unit 30 decreases.

(Control device)
Returning to FIG. 2, the control device 100 controls each element included in the coating/developing device 2. The control device 100 controls the processing module 12 to form a metal-containing resist film on the wafer W, and performs heat treatment to heat the wafer W on which the film has been formed and the film has been exposed to light. controlling the unit U8; controlling the developing unit U7 to develop the film on the wafer W that has been subjected to the heat treatment; and controlling the developing unit U7 to develop the film formed on the wafer W; It is configured to reduce the difference in water content (hereinafter referred to as "reaction water content") for each wafer W.

The control device 100 controls to reduce the difference in the amount of water contained in the metal-containing resist for each wafer W at the start of the heat treatment by the heat treatment unit U8 so as to reduce the difference in the amount of reaction water for each wafer W. may be configured to execute. In the following, the amount of water contained in the film of the metal-containing resist is simply referred to as "the amount of water contained", and the amount of water contained at the start of heat treatment by heat treatment unit U8 is simply referred to as "the amount of water contained at the start of heat treatment". Sometimes.

A specific configuration of the control device 100 will be illustrated below. As shown in FIG. 4, the control device 100 includes a transport reference time setting section 102, a standby time acquisition section 104, a transport control section 106, as functional configurations (hereinafter referred to as "functional modules"). It includes a residence time calculation section 108, a dehydration time calculation section 110, a heat treatment unit control section 114, and an operation command holding section 116. The operation command holding unit 116 may include, for example, a processing schedule including a transportation plan for each of the plurality of wafers W.

The transport reference time setting unit 102 is configured to set a transport reference time. For example, the transport reference time is a constant target value for the time (accommodation standby time) required for one wafer W after the film formation process by the processing module 12 until it is carried into the substrate accommodation unit 20. The accommodation standby time includes a time during which any of the transport devices supports and transports the wafer W, and a time during which the wafer W is not transported by the transport device. The transport reference time setting unit 102 sets the transport reference time based on the transport plan held in the operation command holding unit 116. The transport reference time setting section 102 outputs the set transport reference time to the transport control section 106.

The waiting time acquisition unit 104 is configured to acquire a scheduled waiting time. The scheduled standby time is, for example, the time during which the wafer W is scheduled to remain in the shelf unit U11. The waiting time acquisition unit 104 acquires the scheduled waiting time of the wafer W in the shelf unit U11 based on the transport plan held in the operation command holding unit 116. The waiting time acquisition unit 104 outputs the acquired scheduled waiting time to the transport control unit 106.

The transport control unit 106 controls the transport device A3 and the transport device A8 to transport the wafer W. The transport control unit 106 adjusts the accommodation standby time for each wafer W based on the transport reference time set by the transport reference time setting unit 102 and the scheduled standby time acquired by the standby time acquisition unit 104. For example, the transport control unit 106 calculates the adjustment time according to the transport reference time, the scheduled waiting time, and the scheduled transport time. The scheduled transfer time is, for example, the scheduled time required for the wafer W to be transferred from the shelf unit U11 to the substrate storage unit 20 by the transfer device A8. The adjustment time is a time that is added to either the scheduled transport time or the scheduled waiting time in order to reduce the time difference in the accommodation waiting time for each wafer W. Specifically, the adjustment time for each wafer W is calculated by subtracting the scheduled waiting time and the scheduled transport time from the transport reference time. The transport control unit 106 may lengthen the scheduled waiting time by the calculated adjustment time, or may lengthen the scheduled transport time. The transport control unit 106 controls the transport devices A3 and A8 to transport each wafer W into the substrate storage unit 20 in the adjusted storage standby time.

The residence time calculation unit 108 is configured to calculate the residence time of each of the plurality of wafers W within the exposure apparatus 3. The residence time calculation unit 108 outputs the calculated residence time to the conveyance control unit 106 and the dehydration time calculation unit 110.

The dehydration time calculation section 110 calculates the dehydration time for each wafer W within the dehydration unit 30 according to the residence time within the exposure apparatus 3 calculated by the residence time calculation section 108 . The dehydration time is the time during which the wafer W stays in the dehydration unit 30. The dehydration time calculation unit 110 calculates the dehydration time for each wafer W such that the longer the wafer stays in the exposure apparatus 3, the shorter the time it stays in the dehydration unit 30. The dehydration time calculation unit 110 outputs the calculated dehydration time to the transport control unit 106.

The heat treatment unit control section 114 controls the heat treatment performed by the heat treatment unit U8 before and after development. For example, the heat treatment unit control section 114 controls the heating time of the heat treatment in the heat treatment unit U8 based on the treatment schedule held in the operation command holding section 116.

The control device 100 is composed of one or more control computers. For example, the control device 100 has a circuit 120 shown in FIG. Circuit 120 includes one or more processors 121 , memory 122 , storage 123 , timer 124 , and input/output ports 125 . The storage 123 includes a computer-readable storage medium such as a hard disk. The storage medium stores a program for causing the control device 100 to execute a substrate processing procedure described below. The storage medium may be a removable medium such as a nonvolatile semiconductor memory, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk. The memory 122 temporarily stores programs loaded from the storage medium of the storage 123 and the results of calculations performed by the processor 121 . The processor 121 configures each of the functional modules described above by cooperating with the memory 122 and executing the programs described above. The input/output port 125 inputs and outputs electrical signals between the transport devices A3 and A8 and the heat treatment unit U8 according to instructions from the processor 121. The timer 124 measures elapsed time, for example, by counting reference pulses at a constant period.

Note that the hardware configuration of the control device 100 is not necessarily limited to one in which each functional module is configured by a program. For example, each functional module of the control device 100 may be configured by a dedicated logic circuit or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) that integrates the dedicated logic circuit.

[Substrate processing procedure]
Next, as an example of a substrate processing method, a substrate processing procedure executed in the coating/developing device 2 will be described. This substrate processing procedure includes forming a film (metal-containing resist film) on the wafer W, heat-treating the wafer W on which the film has been formed and exposed to light, and heat-treating the wafer W. and developing the coated film of the wafer W. This substrate processing procedure further includes reducing the difference in the amount of water that reacts between wafers W in the film formed on the wafer W during the heat treatment by the heat treatment unit U8. Hereinafter, an example of an adjustment procedure (hereinafter referred to as "reaction moisture content adjustment procedure") that is executed to reduce the difference in reaction moisture content between wafers W during heat treatment will be described.

In this embodiment, the reaction moisture content adjustment procedure includes a procedure for adjusting the moisture content of each wafer W before exposure processing by the exposure device 3, and a procedure for adjusting the moisture content of each wafer W after the exposure processing by the exposure device 3. and procedures for making adjustments. The control device 100 controls the transport device A8 to transport the wafer W on which the film is formed into the substrate storage unit 20, as an example of adjusting the water content before exposure processing. Further, the control device 100 controls the transfer device A8 so as to reduce the difference in time between wafers W after being carried out from the processing module 12 until being carried into the substrate storage unit 20. In other words, the control device 100 adjusts the amount of water contained in each wafer W by adjusting the accommodation standby time for each wafer W from after the film forming process in the processing module 12 to the substrate accommodation unit 20.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the procedure for adjusting the water content before exposure processing. In this adjustment procedure, the control device 100 first executes step S11. In step S11, the transport reference time setting unit 102 sets a transport reference time based on the transport plan stored in the operation command holding unit 116. For example, the transport reference time setting unit 102 sets the longest time as the transport reference time among the planned times required for a plurality of wafers W to be accommodated in the substrate storage unit 20 after the film formation process of the processing module 12. Good too. Alternatively, the transport reference time setting section 102 may set the reference time inputted in advance by the operator into the operation command holding section 116 as the transport reference time. The transport reference time setting section 102 outputs the set transport reference time to the transport control section 106.

Next, the control device 100 executes step S12. In step S12, the standby time acquisition unit 104 acquires a scheduled standby time based on the transport plan stored in the operation command storage unit 116. For example, the standby time acquisition unit 104 acquires, from the operation command holding unit 116, the scheduled standby time in the shelf unit U11 for the wafer W to be adjusted, which is included in the transport plan. The transportation plan includes a scheduled time for loading into the shelf unit U11 and a scheduled time for unloading from the shelf unit U11. The waiting time acquisition unit 104 calculates the scheduled waiting time from the difference between the scheduled loading time to the shelf unit U11 and the scheduled unloading time from the shelf unit U11. The waiting time acquisition unit 104 outputs the acquired scheduled waiting time to the transport control unit 106.

Next, the control device 100 executes step S13. In step S13, the transport control unit 106 calculates the adjustment time for the wafer W to be transported. For example, the transfer control unit 106 controls the transfer of the wafer W based on the transfer reference time set by the transfer reference time setting unit 102, the scheduled standby time acquired by the standby time acquisition unit 104, and the known transfer station time. Calculate the adjustment time. The known transport time is the time required for one wafer W to be transported from the shelf unit U11 to the substrate storage unit 20 by the transport device A8, and is approximately constant for each wafer W. The transport control unit 106 calculates the adjustment time by subtracting the scheduled waiting time and transport time from the transport reference time.

Next, the control device 100 executes steps S14 and S15. In step S14, for example, the transport control unit 106 controls the transport device A8 so that the wafer W remains on the shelf unit U11 for an adjustment time longer than the scheduled standby time. In other words, the transport control unit 106 controls the transport device A8 to wait for removal from the shelf unit U11 for the adjustment time. In step S14, when the adjustment time has elapsed, the control device 100 executes step S15. In step S15, the transport control unit 106 controls the transport device A8 to unload the wafer W from the shelf unit U11 and transport the wafer W into the substrate storage unit 20. As a result, the adjustment time is calculated for each wafer W according to the waiting time in the shelf unit U11, and the adjustment time for each wafer W is calculated according to the waiting time for each wafer W from the time of film formation processing in the processing module 14 until the accommodation in the substrate accommodation unit 20. The time difference is reduced.

Note that the conveyance control unit 106 may adjust the conveyance speed of the conveyance device A8 according to the adjustment time without changing the scheduled waiting time in the shelf unit U11. The transport control unit 106 may reduce the difference in accommodation standby time for each wafer W by changing the transport speed of the transport device A8 so that the scheduled transport time is increased by the adjustment time. The operation command holding unit 116 may store an operation command in which the accommodation standby time has already been adjusted, and the transport control unit 106 executes the accommodation standby for each wafer W by executing transport based on the operation command. You may adjust the time.

Next, the control device 100 executes step S16. In step S16, the transport control unit 106 determines whether or not a command to unload the wafer W has been received from the operation command holding unit 116. If the transport control unit 106 has not received the above-mentioned transport command, it repeats steps S12 to S16. As a result, the plurality of wafers W are accommodated in the substrate accommodation unit 20 while the accommodation standby time for each of the plurality of wafers W is adjusted to the transport reference time.

In step S16, when the transport control unit 106 receives the above-mentioned unloading command, the control device 100 executes step S17. In step S17, the transport control unit 106 controls the transport device A8 to transport the wafer W to be transported. For example, the transfer control unit 106 carries out the wafer W that has stayed in the substrate storage unit 20 the longest as a carry-out target. The transport control unit 106 controls the transport device A8 to deliver the wafer W unloaded from the substrate storage unit 20 to the exposure apparatus 3. The timing at which it is carried into the exposure apparatus 3 may be determined by the timing of exposure processing by the exposure apparatus 3. For this reason, the waiting time until each wafer W is loaded into the exposure apparatus 3 differs depending on the timing of the exposure process of the exposure apparatus 3. may change (may increase). On the other hand, in the substrate storage unit 20, even if the residence time is different, it is difficult to cause a difference in the moisture content of each wafer W due to the waiting time. By waiting, the difference in water content is reduced.

Next, an example of a procedure for adjusting the water content after exposure processing will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a procedure for adjusting the dehydration time in the dehydration unit 30. The control device 100 carries at least some of the wafers W after exposure processing into the dehydration unit 30, and controls the wafers W so that as the residence time in the exposure device 3 becomes shorter, the residence time of the wafers W in the dehydration unit 30 becomes longer. The transport device A8 is controlled to unload the wafer W from the dehydration unit 30 at the set timing.

As shown in FIG. 7, the control device 100 first executes step S21. In step S21, the stay time calculation unit 108 acquires the time when the wafer W was loaded into the exposure apparatus 3 (loading time). The control device 100 waits until the exposure process for the wafer W in the exposure device 3 is completed, and then executes step S22. In step S22, the residence time calculation unit 108 acquires the time when the wafer W is unloaded from the exposure apparatus 3 (unloading time).

Next, the control device 100 executes step S23. In step S23, the stay time calculation unit 108 calculates the stay time of the wafer W carried out from the exposure apparatus 3 within the exposure apparatus 3. For example, the stay time calculation unit 108 calculates the difference between the carry-out time obtained in step S22 and the carry-in time obtained in step S21 as the stay time in the exposure apparatus 3. The stay time calculation unit 108 outputs the calculated stay time to the dehydration time calculation unit 110.

Next, the control device 100 executes step S24. In step S24, the control device 100 determines whether the stay time calculated by the stay time calculation unit 108 is smaller than a predetermined reference time. The reference time may be an assumed maximum residence time in the exposure device 3, or may be an assumed saturation time of the water content. The saturation time is the time period during which the exposure device 3 should stay in the exposure device 3 in order to reduce the amount of decrease in the water content per unit time to a predetermined threshold value. If it is determined in step S24 that the stay time is equal to or longer than the reference time, the control device 100 executes step S29. The processing contents of step S29 will be described later.

If it is determined in step S24 that the residence time is smaller than the reference time (for example, saturation time), the control device 100 executes step S25. In step S25, the dehydration time calculation section 110 calculates the dehydration time within the dehydration unit 30 based on the residence time calculated by the residence time calculation section 108. The dehydration time here means the time during which the wafer W stays in the dehydration unit 30. For example, the dehydration time calculation unit 110 calculates the dehydration time for the wafer W in the dehydration unit 30 according to the residence time in the exposure apparatus 3. The dehydration time calculation unit 110 calculates the dehydration time so that the longer the stay time in the exposure apparatus 3, the shorter the dehydration time. In other words, the dehydration time calculation unit 110 calculates the dehydration time such that the dehydration time becomes longer as the residence time in the exposure apparatus 3 becomes shorter. The dehydration time calculation unit 110 may calculate the difference between the reference time and the residence time as the dehydration time, and the dehydration time calculation unit 110 applies a predetermined correction process to the difference and calculates the obtained value as the dehydration time. It may be calculated as The dehydration time calculation unit 110 may calculate the dehydration time in the dehydration unit 30 by referring to a table that is stored in advance in the storage 123 and associates the stay time in the exposure apparatus 3 with the dehydration time. . The dehydration time calculation unit 110 outputs the calculated dehydration time to the transport control unit 106.

Next, the control device 100 executes step S26. In step S26, the transport control unit 106 carries the wafer W to be adjusted into the dehydration unit 30. For example, the transport control unit 106 controls the transport device A8 to transport the wafer W to be adjusted, which has been transported out of the exposure apparatus 3, into the dehydration unit 30.

Next, the control device 100 executes step S27. In step S27, the control device 100 waits for the dehydration time calculated (set) for the wafer W to be adjusted to elapse. When the dehydration time has elapsed, the control device 100 executes step S28. In step S28, for example, the transport control unit 106 controls the transport device A8 to transport the wafer W that has stayed in the dehydration unit 30 for the calculated dehydration time from the dehydration unit 30.

Next, the control device 100 executes step S29. In step S29, the transport control unit 106 controls the transport device A8 and the transport device A3 to transport the wafer W to be transported to the heat treatment unit U8. In step S22, if it is determined that the residence time in the exposure apparatus 3 is equal to or longer than the reference time, the transport control unit 106 transfers the wafer W from the exposure apparatus 3 to the heat treatment unit U8 without going through the dehydration unit 30. The conveying devices A3 and A8 are controlled to convey.

With the above steps, the means for adjusting the reaction moisture content (contained moisture content) after exposure processing for one wafer W is completed. The control device 100 executes steps S21 to S29 for each wafer W. Note that the control device 100 may carry all of the wafers W to be adjusted into the dehydration unit 30 and adjust the dehydration time of each of all the wafers W, without executing the determination process in step S24. After the wafer W is loaded into the heat treatment unit U8 after adjusting the dehydration time, the heat treatment unit control section 114 is held in the operation command holding section 116, and the heat treatment of the wafer W is performed for the preset heating time. The heat treatment unit U8 may be controlled so that the heat treatment unit U8 is performed.

[Effects of embodiment]
The coating/developing device 2 according to the present embodiment described above includes a coating unit U3 and a heat treatment unit U4 that form a film on a wafer W, and heat-processes a wafer W on which a film has been formed and an exposure process has been performed on the film. The heat treatment unit U8 develops the film of the wafer W that has been subjected to the heat treatment, and the amount of water that reacts in the film formed on the wafer W during the heat treatment in the heat treatment unit U8. A control device 100 that reduces the difference between wafers W is provided.

In this coating/developing device 2, the control device 100 reduces the difference in the amount of water that reacts (reacted water amount) during the heat treatment in the heat treatment unit U8 in the film formed on the wafer W from one wafer to another. do. The dimensions of a resist pattern formed using a metal-containing resist are easily influenced by the amount of water that reacts within the film during heat treatment before development. Therefore, if the amount of reaction water differs from wafer W to wafer W, the dimensions of resist patterns formed between wafers W are likely to be misaligned. On the other hand, in the coating/developing device 2, the control device 100 reduces the difference in the amount of reaction water when heating the exposed wafers W, so that the dimensions of the resist pattern between the wafers W are reduced. Hard to slip off. As a result, the coating/developing device 2 is effective in improving the dimensional stability of resist patterns using metal-containing resists.

The control device 100 reduces the difference in the amount of water contained in the coating between wafers W at the start of the heat treatment in the heat treatment unit U8. In this case, since the difference in the amount of water contained in the film at the start of the heat treatment in the heat treatment unit U8 is reduced, the above-mentioned difference in the amount of reaction water is reduced. As a result, the dimensional stability of a resist pattern formed using a metal-containing resist can be improved.

The control device 100 adjusts the moisture content of each wafer W at least before the exposure process so as to reduce the difference in the moisture content of each wafer W at the start of the heat treatment in the heat treatment unit U8. The dimensions of the resist pattern are also affected by the amount of water contained during exposure processing. In the above configuration, by adjusting the amount of water content before the exposure process, the difference in the amount of water content between wafers W during the exposure process is also reduced. As a result, the dimensional stability of the resist pattern can be improved more reliably.

The coating/developing device 2 is a substrate storage unit configured to suppress changes in moisture content compared to the transport devices A3 and A8 that transport the wafer W and the transport space that accommodates the transport devices A3 and A8. 20. The control device 100 controls the transport devices A3 and A8 to carry the wafer W before exposure processing into the substrate storage unit 20 after the coating unit U3 and the heat treatment unit U4 have formed the film. The time required for each wafer W to be transported to the exposure apparatus 3 after the heat treatment (film formation) by the heat treatment unit U4 may vary depending on the wafer W. In the above configuration, since the wafer W waits in a space where changes in the water content of the film are suppressed, changes in the water content of the wafer W, which takes a long waiting time before being transported to the exposure apparatus 3, are suppressed. Ru. As a result, the difference in water content between wafers W is reduced, making it possible to improve the dimensional stability of the resist pattern.

The control device 100 controls the transfer devices A3 and A8 so as to reduce the difference in time between wafers W after being carried out from the heat treatment unit U4 until being carried into the substrate storage unit 20. The amount of water contained in the film may change during transportation from after the heat treatment (film formation) in the heat treatment unit U4 until it is carried into the substrate storage unit 20. For this reason, if there is a difference in the transport time between the wafers W from the heat treatment unit U4 to the substrate storage unit 20, a difference in the water content between the wafers W will occur. In the above configuration, the difference in the transport time for each wafer W from the heat treatment in the heat treatment unit U4 until the wafer is carried into the substrate storage unit 20 is reduced, so the difference in the moisture content of each wafer W due to transport is reduced. . As a result, it becomes possible to improve the dimensional stability of the resist pattern more reliably.

The control device 100 adjusts the moisture content of each wafer W at least after the exposure process by the exposure device 3 so as to reduce the difference in the moisture content of each wafer W at the start of the heat treatment in the heat treatment unit U8. The amount of water contained within the exposure apparatus 3 may also change. In the above configuration, at least after the exposure process, the water content is adjusted for each wafer W. The difference between each W is reduced. As a result, it becomes possible to more reliably improve the dimensional stability of a resist pattern using a metal-containing resist.

The control device 100 adjusts the amount of water contained in each wafer W after the exposure process according to the residence time in the exposure device 3. In the exposure apparatus 3, if the residence time differs for each wafer W, a difference in water content will occur for each wafer W. In the above configuration, the difference in the water content of each wafer W is adjusted according to the stay time in the exposure apparatus 3. Therefore, the difference in the water content of each wafer W caused by staying in the exposure apparatus 3 The difference narrows. As a result, it becomes possible to improve the dimensional stability of a resist pattern using a metal-containing resist.

The control device 100 carries at least some of the wafers W after exposure processing into the dehydration unit 30, and as the residence time in the exposure device 3 becomes shorter, the residence time (dehydration time) of the wafers W in the dehydration unit 30 increases. The transport device A8 is controlled to unload the wafer W from the dehydration unit 30 at a timing set to be longer. The shorter the residence time in the exposure apparatus 3, the less the amount of water contained in the wafer W decreases. In the above configuration, the shorter the residence time in the exposure apparatus 3, the longer the residence time in the dehydration unit 30, so that the amount of water contained in the film in the wafer W is further reduced. This reduces the difference in water content between wafers W, making it possible to improve the dimensional stability of a resist pattern using a metal-containing resist.

Although the embodiments have been described above, the present disclosure is not necessarily limited to the embodiments described above, and various changes can be made without departing from the gist thereof.

(Modified example of the first embodiment)
The method for adjusting the water content after exposure processing is not limited to the method using the dehydration unit 30 described above. For example, the control device 100 may use a humidifying unit 40 (humidifying section) instead of the dehydrating unit 30 to adjust the moisture content of the wafer W after the exposure process.

For example, the humidifying unit 40 (a configuration example is not shown) includes a housing, a support plate, and a supply path. The housing has an internal space and accommodates the support plate. The support plate supports the wafer W. The supply path is connected to one end of the housing and supplies humidified air (humidified air) into the housing. The humidifying environment in the humidifying unit 40 (for example, the increase in the amount of water contained per unit time) may be kept substantially constant by adjusting the supply amount of humidified air by the control device 100.

The control device 100 transports at least some of the wafers W (including all the wafers W) after exposure processing into the humidification unit 40, and as the residence time in the exposure device 3 becomes longer, the wafers W are transported into the humidification unit 40. The transport device A8 is controlled to unload the wafer W from the humidifying unit 40 at a timing set so that the residence time of the wafer W is increased. Note that a flowchart showing a procedure for adjusting the humidification time (residence time within the humidification unit 40) by the humidification unit 40 is omitted.

For example, in adjusting the humidification time, the residence time calculation unit 108 first calculates the residence time in the exposure device 3 in the same manner as in step S21. Next, the control device 100 calculates the humidification time in the humidification unit 40 according to the residence time in the exposure device 3. The control device 100 calculates the humidification time so that the longer the stay time in the exposure device 3, the longer the humidification time in the humidification unit 40. In other words, the control device 100 calculates the humidification time so that the longer the stay time in the exposure device 3 becomes, the shorter the humidification time in the humidification unit 40 becomes. Then, the transport control unit 106 controls the transport device A8 to transport the wafer W into the humidification unit 40.

After the wafer W is carried into the humidification unit 40 and the calculated humidification time has elapsed, the transfer control unit 106 controls the transfer device A8 to carry out the wafer W from the humidification unit 40. Then, the transport control unit 106 controls the transport devices A3 and A8 to transport the wafer W into the heat treatment unit U8. Thereafter, the heat treatment unit control section 114 controls the heat treatment unit U8 to perform heat treatment on the wafer W based on the operation command from the operation command holding section 116. The control device 100 adjusts the moisture content of each wafer W after the exposure process by adjusting the humidification time for each wafer W.

In this modification, the control device 100 carries at least some of the wafers W after exposure processing into the humidifying unit 40, and as the staying time of the wafer W in the humidifying unit 40 becomes longer, the staying time of the wafer W in the humidifying unit 40 ( The transport device A8 is controlled to unload the wafer W from the humidifying unit 40 at a timing set so that the humidifying time (humidifying time) becomes longer. The longer the stay time in the exposure apparatus 3, the lower the amount of water contained in the wafer. In the above configuration, the longer the wafer stays in the exposure processing apparatus, the longer the wafer stays in the humidifying unit, so the amount of water contained in the wafer increases. This reduces the difference in water content between wafers, making it possible to improve the dimensional stability of a resist pattern using a metal-containing resist.

Note that the control device 100 may adjust the water content using both the dehydration unit 30 and the humidification unit 40 after the exposure process.

The control device 100 may adjust the moisture content using either the dehydration unit 30 or the humidification unit 40, and may not adjust the moisture content by adjusting the substrate storage unit 20 or the transport time. In this case, the coating/developing device 2 does not need to include the substrate storage unit 20.

The control device 100 adjusts the moisture content by adjusting the substrate storage unit 20 and the transport time (accommodation standby time), and does not need to adjust the moisture content using the dehydration unit 30 and humidification unit 40. In this case, the coating/developing device 2 does not need to include the dehydration unit 30 and the humidification unit 40. The control device 100 may adjust the moisture content before exposure processing by accommodating the wafer W in the substrate storage unit 20, without adjusting the moisture content by adjusting the transport time. For example, compared to the difference in waiting time for each wafer W that occurs depending on the processing timing by the exposure device 3, the difference in waiting time that occurs due to the operation of the transport device A8 in the coating/developing device 2 is small. There are cases. In this case, there is a possibility that the water content can be adjusted sufficiently even if adjustment of the transportation time is omitted. In such a case, the processing load on the control device 100 is reduced by omitting the adjustment of the transport time.

[Second embodiment]
Next, with reference to FIG. 8, a substrate processing system 1 according to a second embodiment will be described. In the substrate processing system 1 (coating/developing device 2) according to the second embodiment, the control device 100 includes a heating time calculation section 112 instead of the dehydration time calculation section 110, and the control device 100 adjusts the amount of reaction water. The procedure is different from the first embodiment.

The control device 100 adjusts the heat treatment time in the heat treatment unit U8 according to the residence time in the exposure device 3. Specifically, the control device 100 may control the heat treatment unit U8 so that the longer the stay time in the exposure apparatus 3, the longer the heat treatment time of the wafer W becomes. The heating time calculation section 112 of the control device 100 calculates the heating time for each wafer W in the heat treatment by the heat treatment unit U8, according to the residence time within the exposure apparatus 3 calculated by the residence time calculation section 108. The heating time calculation unit 112 outputs the calculated heating time to the heat treatment unit control unit 114. The heat treatment unit control section 114 may control the heat treatment unit U8 to perform the heat treatment before development using the heating time calculated by the heating time calculation section 112.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the procedure for adjusting the heat treatment time in the heat treatment unit U8. As shown in FIG. 8, in this heat treatment time adjustment procedure, the control device 100 first executes step S31. In step S31, the stay time calculation unit 108 acquires the time of loading into the exposure apparatus 3 and the time of unloading from the exposure apparatus 3, and calculates the stay time in the exposure apparatus 3 in the same manner as in step S23. The residence time calculation section 108 outputs the calculated residence time in the exposure apparatus 3 to the heating time calculation section 112 .

Next, the control device 100 executes step S32. In step S32, the heating time calculation section 112 calculates the heating time in the heat treatment unit U8 based on the residence time calculated by the residence time calculation section 108. The heating time here means the time for the heat treatment performed on the wafer W before development in the heat treatment unit U8. For example, the heating time calculation unit 112 calculates the heating time for the wafer W in the heat treatment unit U8 according to the residence time in the exposure apparatus 3. The heating time calculation unit 112 calculates the heating time so that the longer the stay time in the exposure apparatus 3, the longer the heating time. In other words, the heating time calculation unit 112 calculates the heating time so that the heating time becomes shorter as the residence time in the exposure device 3 becomes shorter. The heating time calculation unit 112 may calculate the heating time in the heat treatment unit U8 by referring to a table that is stored in advance in the storage 123 and associates the residence time in the exposure apparatus 3 with the heating time. . The heating time calculation unit 112 outputs the calculated heating time to the heat treatment unit control unit 114.

Next, the control device 100 executes step S33. In step S33, the transport control unit 106 controls the transport devices A3 and A8 to transport the wafer W into the heat treatment unit U8. After the wafer W is carried into the heat treatment unit U8 by the transport device A3, the heat treatment unit control section 114 controls the heat treatment unit U8 to start heat treatment of the wafer W.

Next, the control device 100 executes step S34. In step S34, the heat treatment unit control section 114 waits until the heating time calculated by the heating time calculation section 112 has elapsed. After the heating time has elapsed, the control device 100 executes step S35. In step S35, for example, the transport control unit 106 controls the transport device A3 to transport the wafer W, which has been subjected to heat treatment for the heating time calculated (set) by the heating time calculation unit 112, from the heat treatment unit U8. Note that after the wafer W that has been heat-treated for the above-mentioned heating time is cooled on the cooling plate in the heat treatment unit U8, the transfer control unit 106 controls the transfer device A8 to carry out the wafer W from the heat treatment unit U8. may be controlled.

With the above steps, the procedure for adjusting the heat treatment time for one wafer W is completed. The control device 100 repeats the processing of steps S31 to S35 for each wafer W. Note that after the process in step S35, the transport control unit 106 controls the transport device A3 to transport the wafer W taken out from the heat treatment unit U8 into the developing unit U7. After that, the control device 100 controls the developing unit U7 to perform a developing process on the wafer W. After the development process, the control device 100 may control the transport device A3 and the heat treatment unit U8 so that the wafer W is subjected to post-development heat treatment in the heat treatment unit U8.

In the coating/developing apparatus 2 of the substrate processing system 1 according to the second embodiment, the control apparatus 100 controls the heat treatment unit U8 so that the longer the residence time in the exposure apparatus 3, the longer the time for the heat treatment of the wafer W. control. In this case, the longer the stay time in the exposure device 3, the lower the amount of water content, and the longer the heat treatment time in the heat treatment unit U8. Furthermore, the shorter the stay time in the exposure device 3, the greater the amount of water content, and the shorter the heat treatment time in the heat treatment unit U8. Therefore, even if there is a difference in the residence time in the exposure apparatus 3, the difference in the amount of reaction water for each wafer W during the heat treatment in the heat treatment unit U8 is reduced. As a result, it becomes possible to improve the dimensional stability of a resist pattern using a metal-containing resist.

In addition to adjusting the heating time in the heat treatment unit U8, the control device 100 may also adjust the moisture content by adjusting the substrate storage unit 20 and the transport time before the exposure process, as in the first embodiment. . The control device 100 adjusts the heating time in the heat treatment unit U8, and does not need to adjust the moisture content by adjusting the substrate storage unit 20 and the transport time before the exposure process. In this case, even if a device (humidity control mechanism 7) for adjusting the amount of reaction water is not provided, the amount of reaction water is adjusted, so it is possible to achieve both dimensional stability and simplification of the coating/developing device 2. It is possible. Note that the control device 100 may combine the adjustment of the heating time in the second embodiment with the adjustment by the dehydration unit 30 or the humidification unit 40 in the first embodiment.

[Third embodiment]
Next, with reference to FIG. 9, a substrate processing system 1 according to a third embodiment will be described. In the substrate processing system 1 (coating/developing device 2) according to the third embodiment, the procedure for adjusting the water content before exposure processing by the control device 100 is different from the first embodiment. The control device 100 uses the dehydration unit 30 to adjust the water content before exposure processing. In this case, the control device 100 controls the transport device A8 to carry the wafer W, which has not been subjected to exposure processing by the exposure device 3, into the dehydration unit 30 after the heat treatment (film formation) in the heat treatment unit U4. The control device 100 also controls the control device 100 to remove the wafers from the dehydration unit 30 at a timing set to reduce the difference in the water content of each wafer W when the wafers are unloaded from the dehydration unit 30 compared to when the wafers W are loaded into the dehydration unit 30. The transport device A8 is controlled to transport W.

FIG. 9 shows, as an example of the adjustment procedure by the dehydration unit 30 before exposure processing, the adjustment procedure for the timing of removal from the dehydration unit 30 (residence time in the dehydration unit 30). In this adjustment procedure, the control device 100 first executes step S41. In step S41, for example, the transport control unit 106 controls the transport device A8 to sequentially transport the plurality of wafers W from the shelf unit U11 to the dehydration unit 30 based on the transport plan of the operation command holding unit 116.

Next, the control device 100 executes step S42. In step S42, the transport control unit 106 determines whether a command to unload the wafer W has been received from the operation command holding unit 116. If the transport control unit 106 has not received the above-mentioned transport command, it repeats steps S41 and S42. As a result, a plurality of wafers W are carried into the dehydration unit 30.

In step S42, when the transport control unit 106 receives the above-mentioned unloading command, the control device 100 executes step S43. In step S43, for example, the control device 100 calculates the residence time of each of the plurality of wafers W currently accommodated in the dehydration unit 30. Then, the control device 100 executes step S44. In step S44, the transport control unit 106 controls the transport device A8 to transport the wafer W to be transported. Specifically, the transport control unit 106 controls the transport device A8 to transport the wafer W having the longest staying time among the plurality of wafers W in the dehydration unit 30 from the dehydration unit 30. After being unloaded from the dehydration unit 30, the transport control unit 106 controls the transport device A8 to transport the wafer W into the exposure apparatus 3.

The control device 100 repeats the above steps S41 to S44. Through this process, each time an unloading command is received, the wafer W with the longest staying time is unloaded, so that the moisture content in each wafer W conveyed to the exposure apparatus 3 via the dehydration unit 30 is at the saturation level ( (a level at which the amount of decrease per unit time has decreased to a predetermined threshold). Therefore, when the wafers are unloaded from the dehydration unit 30, the difference in the water content of each wafer W is reduced compared to when the wafers W are unloaded from the dehydration unit 30. Note that the control device 100 may wait for unloading from the dehydration unit 30 when the number of wafers W accommodated in the dehydration unit 30 is small and none of the wafers W has reached the saturation level.

Note that, instead of the processing in step S44 described above, the control device 100 controls the transport device to adjust the residence time (dehydration time) in the dehydration unit 30 according to the transport time from the heat treatment unit U4 to the dehydration unit 30. A8 may also be controlled. For example, the control device 100 controls the transfer device A8 to transfer the wafer W from the dehydration unit 30 at a timing such that the longer the transfer time to the dehydration unit 30, the longer the stay time in the dehydration unit 30. Good too. Note that the control device 100 may adjust the amount of reaction water by using the humidifying unit 40 instead of the dehydrating unit 30 according to the same procedure as described above.

In the coating/developing device 2 of the substrate processing system 1 according to the third embodiment, the control device 100 causes the wafer W to be carried into the dehydration unit 30 after the heat treatment (film formation treatment) in the heat treatment unit U4 and before the exposure treatment. The conveyance device A8 is controlled to. When the wafer W is carried into the dehydration unit 30 and the amount of water contained in the wafer W decreases, the decrease in the amount of water contained reaches a state where the decrease slows down at a certain level (slow state). Therefore, by transferring the wafer W to the exposure apparatus 3 after loading the wafer W into the dehydration unit 30, the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value of the water content among the plurality of wafers W is reduced. This reduces the difference in water content between wafers W, making it possible to improve the dimensional stability of the resist pattern.

The control device 100 removes the wafers W from the dehydration unit 30 at a timing set to reduce the difference in the water content of each wafer W when the wafers are unloaded from the dehydration unit 30 compared to when they are loaded into the dehydration unit 30. The transport device A8 is controlled to carry out the transport. For example, the wafers W are unloaded from the dehydration unit 30 at the timing when the moisture content of all the wafers W within the dehydration unit 30 reaches the saturation level. Therefore, even if the wafer W enters the exposure apparatus 3 whose water content has slowed down, the water content decreases only slightly within the exposure apparatus 3, regardless of the length of stay. As a result, the difference in water content between the wafers W that occurs due to the residence time in the exposure apparatus 3 is suppressed, and the difference in the water content between the wafers W is reduced. Alternatively, by changing the residence time of the dehydration unit 30 according to the transport time to the dehydration unit 30 (for example, the longer the transport time, the longer the residence time is set), the difference in the water content of each wafer W can be reduced. . As a result, the dimensional stability of the resist pattern can be improved more reliably.

In the third embodiment, the control device 100 adjusts each of the plurality of wafers W so that the water content reaches the saturation level in the dehydration unit 30 before the exposure process, and the amount of reacted water after the exposure process. (Moisture content) does not need to be adjusted. In the substrate processing system 1, the throughput in the coating/developing device 2 may be greater than the throughput in the exposure device 3. In this case, since the throughput of the entire substrate processing system 1 is determined by the exposure device 3, the processing of the wafer W after the exposure process by the exposure device 3 is performed without any delay (only the minimum steps necessary to produce the wafer W). It may be more effective from the viewpoint of production efficiency to do so. Therefore, when it is desired to achieve both adjustment of the water content and production efficiency, the control device 100 performs the above adjustment of the water content before the exposure process, and adjusts the water content after the exposure process. may be configured so that this is not performed.

The control device 100 may combine at least one of the adjustment by the dehydration unit 30 or the humidification unit 40 in the first embodiment and the adjustment of the heating time in the second embodiment, and the adjustment by the dehydration unit 30 in the third embodiment. . For example, in addition to adjusting the water content by the dehydration unit 30 before the exposure process, the control device 100 may also adjust the water content by the dehydration unit 30 after the exposure process. In this case, the coating/developing device 2 may include two different dehydration units 30. For example, in addition to adjusting the water content by the dehydration unit 30 before the exposure process, the control device 100 may adjust the reaction water content by adjusting the heating time of the heat treatment unit U8 after the exposure process. Note that the substrate processing system 1 (substrate processing apparatus) may adjust the reaction moisture content (contained moisture content) by adjusting the residence time of each wafer W in the exposure apparatus 3.

The substrate to be processed is not limited to a semiconductor wafer, and may be, for example, a glass substrate, a mask substrate, an FPD (Flat Panel Display), or the like.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...Substrate processing system, 2...Coating/developing device, 3...Exposure device, 7...Humidity control mechanism, 20...Substrate storage unit, 30...Dehydration unit, 40...Humidifying unit, 100...Control device, A3, A8...Transportation Apparatus, U3... coating unit, U7... developing unit, U8... heat treatment unit.

Claims (8)

a film formation processing unit that forms a metal-containing resist film on the substrate;
a heat treatment unit that heat-processes the substrate on which the film has been formed and the film has been exposed to light in an exposure apparatus;
a development processing section that develops the coating of the substrate that has been subjected to the heat treatment;
When the substrate on which the coating has been formed and has not been subjected to the heat treatment is transferred by a transfer device housed in a transfer space, the amount of moisture contained in the substrate at the time of the start of the heat treatment is reduced. an adjustment control unit that causes the transport device to perform transport via a humidity control mechanism configured to adjust the moisture content so as to reduce the difference between the moisture contents. Further comprising the transport device and the humidity control mechanism,
The humidity control mechanism includes a substrate accommodating part configured to suppress a change in the moisture content compared to the transport space,
2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the adjustment control section controls the transport device so as to transport the substrate after the coating has been formed by the film formation processing section into the substrate storage section. comprising a processing block provided with the film formation processing section, the heat processing section, and the development processing section,
3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the substrate accommodating section is provided within the processing block. further comprising an interface block for transferring the substrate to and from the exposure apparatus,
3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the substrate accommodating section is provided within the interface block. Claims 2 to 4, wherein the substrate accommodating section has a casing including a space for accommodating the substrate, and a supply path for supplying air that suppresses changes in the moisture content to the space in the casing. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of the above. 1 . The adjustment control unit adjusts the moisture content of each substrate at least after the exposure process so as to reduce the difference in the moisture content between the substrates at the start of the heat treatment. The substrate processing apparatus described. forming a metal-containing resist coating on the substrate;
heating the substrate on which the film has been formed and the film has been exposed to light in an exposure apparatus;
developing the coating of the substrate that has been subjected to the heat treatment;
When the substrate on which the coating has been formed and has not been subjected to the heat treatment is transferred by a transfer device housed in a transfer space, the amount of moisture contained in the substrate at the time of the start of the heat treatment is reduced. A substrate processing method comprising: causing the transport device to transport the moisture content through a humidity control mechanism configured to adjust the moisture content so as to reduce the difference between the moisture contents. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing an apparatus to execute the substrate processing method according to claim 7.

Images